2012 AL and NL Cy Young Award Winners

Bernie Olshansky: Both Cy Young awards were announced yesterday. R.A. Dickey won in the National League and David Price won in the American League. Dickey won by a large margin; he had 209 points by 27 first place votes and five second place votes. This race was not even close. Price on the other hand, won by four points. He received just one more first place vote than Justin Verlander, who finished second. Here’s my take on how the voting went down.

National League: R.A. Dickey

Dickey completely deserved this award. He was consistent all year going 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA with 230 strikeouts. Although he was not on the best team, he made the most of what he had. What makes this year extra special for Dickey is the fact that it was such a surprise. The knuckleballer came off a year in which he went 8-13. He did have a 3.28 ERA which is very good, but to win 12 more games and lose seven less than the year before is phenomenal. Dickey had some competition, but in the end it was not close. Gio Gonzalez finished in third place with 93 points (behind Clayton Kershaw with 96 points—I will get to him). Gonzalez went 21-8 this season with a 2.89 ERA and 207 strikeouts. These numbers are good, but Dickey edges him out in every category besides wins. The only slight advantage that Gonzalez could have had on Dickey was the fact that he played for a contender. Gonzalez was supported by strong pitching in Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg, so the two other aces could have taken away a bit. Finishing second was Kershaw. Kershaw could not defend his title from last year, but put up a strong fight. He went 14-9 with a 2.53 ERA and 229 strikeouts. If Kershaw could have gotten a few more wins, we might have seen a different outcome. But, Dickey was too strong and deservedly gets the 2012 NL Cy Young.

American League: David Price

Wow. What a tight race. Price ended up prevailing over Verlander mainly because, in my opinion, he lead the league in wins (20) and ERA (2.56). Unlike the National League, the American league had three very strong candidates in Price, Verlander, and Jered Weaver. In the end it came down to Price and Verlander. Weaver had a great year and had the same record as Price (20-5), but fell out of the race with his amount of innings pitched. Price and Verlander both had over 200 innings pitched (211 and 238.1 respectively) while Weaver had only 188.2. Price and Verlander both had the same amount of quality starts (25), but Price edged Verlander out in every other category besides strikeouts (Verlander had 239 while Price had 205). Both pitchers were very reliable and valuable to their team, and whoever won really came down to the flip of a coin in my mind. Price had 14 first place votes to Verlander’s 13, and each pitcher had 13 second place votes. Verlander was on a contender, but some could say that he was supported by a much more powerful lineup with the Triple Crown winner in Miguel Cabrera and huge offseason signing Prince Fielder. Fernando Rodney actually received a first place vote from Drew Davidson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Personally, I don’t think relievers should win the Cy Young. As important as they are, they only pitch a fraction of what starters do. This Cy Young will probably be the first of many for the young Price.

(*The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com*)

***Today’s feature was prepared by Bernie Olshansky, Baseball Writer & Facebook Administrator. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Bernie on Twitter (@BernieOlshansky)***

Please e-mail us at: mlbeports@gmail.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook . To subscribe to our website and have the daily Reports sent directly to your inbox , click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.

Share this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

About bernieolshansky

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’ve experienced some exciting times with the local baseball teams—the Giants winning the World Series being the most memorable highlight. Some of my favorite players include Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum, and Cliff Lee among others. I played baseball up through my freshman year of high school and transitioned into being a full time fan. I regularly attend major and minor league games when I have free time. I enjoy working at a baseball store. I’m in my senior year of high school and hope to major in Journalism or Sports Administration in college. Follow Bernie on Twitter (@BernieOlshansky).

Chuck Booth’s 30 MLB Parks Trip World Record Page

In 2012, Chuck Booth attended a complete game in all 30 MLB Parks in just 23 calendar days, click the image of he and Larry Lucchino to read all about it.

The MLB BallPark Pass-Port Is A Must Purchase For Those Planning To See All 30

The Ballpark Passport is quickly becoming the favorite item among Ballpark Chasers, to chronicle their life goal to see all 30 Major League Parks. You are able to receive the stamps kit for a small additional price. At around $75 all combined, it will contain one of the biggest memento's ever for a Ballpark Chaser's best bucket list wish ever#Greatgiftidea

The White Sox have claimed catcher Dustin Garneau off waivers from the Athletics, per a club announcement. Righty Miguel Gonzalez was bumped to the 60-day DL to create a 40-man spot. Garneau had just been designated for assignment. Now, he’ll head to Chicago to help bolster a catching unit that just lost starter Welington Castillo…

We’ll use this post to track the day’s minor moves: The Indians have added righty Mitch Talbot on a minors deal, per MLBTR’s Steve Adams (via Twitter). He’ll join the rotation at Triple-A Columbus, taking the place of the recently promoted Adam Plutko. Talbot last appeared in the majors with the Indians way back in 2011 and…

The White Sox have announced a trio of roster moves following the official suspension of Welington Castillo. To account for the opening behind the plate, the club has selected the contract of backstop Alfredo Gonzalez. Additionally, the Chicago organization announced that infielder Leury Garcia is going onto the 10-day DL with a knee sprain. Taking…

The Nationals have agreed to a minor league deal with left-handed reliever Josh Edgin, as noted on MLB.com’s transactions log and as tweeted by the team’s Triple-A play-by-play announcer, Eric Gallanty. The longtime Mets reliever recently opted out of his minor league deal with the Orioles. Edgin, 31, missed the 2015 season and the bulk of…

The Rangers announced tonight that they’ll select the contract of right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx from Triple-A Round Rock, and he’ll start Thursday’s game against the Royals. Texas has an open spot on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to make a 25-man move to accommodate the promotion of Bibens-Dirkx. The 33-year-old Bibens-Dirkx made his big league… […]